That’s an understatement. The Palestine winery and vineyard specializes in sweet wines, and one of its most popular blends is Sweet Heat, made with jalapeños.

Pell says he makes about 450 cases a year. “Hunters love it. They use it in place of water in their venison and pork sausage.”

It also makes a good cooking wine. And once you get past the vegetal, honeysuckle nose, it’s a decent, if unusual, drinking wine, especially with spicy foods. The chile pepper mirrors the heat as sweetness tames the burn.

“It’s spicy,” says Pell, “but the spiciness doesn’t stay too long.”

Pell says the winery uses all East Texas grapes and East Texas fruits, including muscadine and mustang grapes, plums, pears and watermelon.

The retired firefighter suggests marinating meat in Sweet Heat for exemplary results. Thanks to its acidic nature, wine will typically tenderize meat. This one just gives you a little extra chile kick.

The wine is available at the winery (sweetdreamswinery.com) as well as JJ’s Fast Stop at a Shell service station in Plano, on Legacy at U.S. 75. It’s about $17.